open sea

Chapter 1378 Cold
The coalition has 740 Kazakh riders.

Among them are 240 elite warriors, each wearing plate and chain armor and a chichak helmet with necklaces, and three or four war horses, one of which is wearing a chain and chain vest.

They are all the guards sent by Tawu Kal Khan to his nephew Uraz. The remaining 480 light cavalry are their auxiliary soldiers, and the rest are camel teams to carry water and food.

The main general sent by the Ming army is Dong Yiyuan, and the force includes the entire five thousand households of Zhu Yu.

Similarly, there are not many people in the Ming army who actually undertake combat tasks, and in addition to transporting luggage, they also shoulder the mission of setting up post stations.

After all, unlike the Kazakhs, Qi Jiguang's purpose was not to help Kuchu Khan stay a little longer, but to establish a permanent stronghold and trade routes on this land.

The two troops streamlined their soldiers, both carried enough horses for transportation, and had Kazakhs who knew the way as guides. When they marched at the fastest speed, they even traveled 340 miles in two days.

But that time it was a quick march, to get to the water source. At other times, it was like crossing the Kazakh mountains for 25 miles a day, and when it was fast, it was only a hundred miles a day. The normal [-]-mile field was like an outing, catching up with the abundant crops. Where there is food, rest for a few days to replenish food and grass.

In addition, outposts and hundreds of households were built along the way, and temporary barracks were built for the follow-up troops to rest.

Their overall marching speed was not only not fast, but also too slow, so they were criticized by the Kazakh army-the old man riding a donkey walked faster than them for a month.

However, there is also one thing that amazed the Kazakh cavalrymen. No matter where they went, no matter how far they did not wait for the Ming army to run forward that day, they could always see the Ming army scouts in front of them to meet them.

The leading Kazakh riders even doubted themselves: who is the guide, us or them?
Dong Yiyuan is such a thief. They, the top generals of the Ming army, know what Tawu Keller Khan is thinking. The ultimate goal of this battle is only one. Before the battle, all the cards were shown.

At least the marching ability should be hidden. There is no harm in the first place. Kuchu Khan is also gathering troops. The capital has long been lost. The entire guerrilla group has nothing to worry about.

Secondly, I can also keep enough energy and reserve horsepower. Looking at the villages and tribes settled along the way, I can eat more food for a few days, and I can also get a feel for the production capacity here.

Just swaying like this, when they got close to the Great Uvat Lake, they could finally see the normal state of the Siberian Khanate's landforms - swamps, swamps that can be seen everywhere.

The army of nearly 7000 people stopped and stopped all the way for nearly three months. After the midsummer, the weather soon became cold, and there were only 300 people left in the army.

The Ming army could not be frozen. The soldiers who left the team set up 46 military depots where they passed, 42 of which had the function of hoarding grain and grass, and the four were carefully constructed with earth, wood and stone as fortresses for the troops to garrison and resist the enemy.

This is not only a transfer station for large troops to enter, but also a retreat point to defend after the offensive is blocked. In terms of site selection, the rivers and roads are guarded, and the transportation is convenient. It is a good place to build a town.

The situation of the friendly army was worse. Some Khanate troops suffered from frostbite and fever due to lack of winter clothes and were unable to withstand the cold. After discussion between Dong Yiyuan and Uraz, the troops who lacked winter clothes were left in the fortresses and post stations built along the way.

"Our goal is the city of Iskar, the capital of the Siberian Khanate. If the guide is right, there are only four hundred miles left. There is no need for these soldiers to suffer non-combat attrition." Dong Yiyuan said to Uraz: "What's more The real master, Kuchu Khan, is still gathering his troops six hundred miles away, so you said non-combat attrition?"

"It's a noun. Falling, getting sick, being eaten by wild animals, these are not the casualties of fighting with the enemy but losing the ability to fight. They are called non-combat attrition."

Uraz didn't expect that the Ming army looked capable of fighting, but they couldn't even bear these, which seemed too hypocritical.

The Kazakh Khanate is adjacent to Siberia, of course it knows the environment and weather here, but what can be done about it?
They are here to fight and not to travel. Does the heat make people take off their armor in battle, and the cold make knights on horseback leave the battlefield?

"It's their fault. They didn't prepare thick cotton clothes. The Siberians who lost their capital fought in the same way. Don't underestimate us, they are fine."

In Dong Yiyuan's eyes, Uraz spoke like this because he could stand and talk without pain in his back. A great nobleman covered in chain plate armor with sable hair on the edge said that it was their fault that the conscripted civilian husbands couldn't afford to wear cotton armor.

Of course he could accuse them of this, because in their country soldiers had to prepare their own armor and weapons, and the lord was not obliged to prepare the equipment needed for the battle for his troops.

But Dong Yiyuan could not allow Uraz to keep frostbitten and sick soldiers in the team. These soldiers who lost their combat effectiveness hindered other soldiers during the battle, not to mention that there was no need for them to go to the battlefield.

"The place we are going to is the capital of the Siberian Khanate. It is a fortified city. There are not many people in the Yermak headquarters, but they have artillery, and there may be reinforcements from the grassland nobles who surrendered. You also saw that my people did not bring cannons .”

Uraz frowned listening to Dong Yiyuan's words: "You didn't bring cannons, so what are you dragging in your car?"

"It's a Franc cannon, a small field cannon. It's light in weight and fast in fire. It poses no threat to the stone walls. The siege may drag on for several months. It shouldn't be the coldest time yet, right?" Dong Yiyuan said. With a very serious expression, he reiterated to the interpreter: "I have no intention of underestimating your thoughts."

"But in the coldest winter, most soldiers can't last a month in the wild. Yours are like this, and so are mine."

Dong Yiyuan's words made Wu Lazi suspicious.

At least he suspected that the real infantry of the Ming Empire would not be able to survive the winter field battle. He had seen the infantry of the Long Live Army try on the winter uniforms and cotton armor they carried while resting.

Even the thinnest man would be burly like a hibernating bear in those, and the most nimble man would be crippled and lumbered by the armor, but they were warm.

"Oh, don't doubt it. We tried it in Wulianghai in the east. It shouldn't be so far north. Even wearing His Majesty's winter clothes can only make people freeze later. People, it's okay, so don't keep thinking about it." God did it right."

Dong Yiyuan laughed, there are people in Ming Dynasty who know how to survive in the coldest place in the world, but they don’t have to think about how to fight there, as long as they don’t freeze to death, they will win .

This is incomparable in the Siberian Khanate.

"We are very close and let them rest here. We only need 2000 people to join Kuchuhan. Even if we need them during the siege, we can send riders to summon them, and we can arrive in three days."

"It's best not to besiege the city in winter. The situation is really unfavorable. We can delay it until the beginning of next spring, as long as we don't let them leave the city."

Dong Yiyuan has seen the mystery of how to win easily.

In terms of standard equipment, the Zhejiang Army and the Long Live Army in the Ming army are generally better protected from the winter cold than any army he has seen, and their ability to march long distances is also stronger than most of the armies he has seen.

When encountering an enemy on this land, you may not need to fire a gun. If you chase them for three to five days in the winter wilderness, your opponent may become a work of art on the ice sheet.

(End of this chapter)